The Darkness of the Heart: Part 1
by Luna Rei
Summary: Riku will do whatever it takes to get off of Destiny Island...even if it means inviting darkness into his heart. But, along his dark path, a new friend offers him guidance, power...and maybe something more. The hands of fate are always turning...RikuXOC
1. Introduction

Introduction

_~ Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart. ~_

_Confucius_

_Kingdom Hearts…_

_A place where all things good, bad and everything in between, exists._

_A wonderful place full of bright light, and never ending darkness._

_A world where all hopes come alive, and where nightmares become reality._

_How do I know all of this, you ask?_

_Simple, I was once a follower of Kingdom Hearts…and it led to my destruction…_

_However, I'm being given a second chance…a chance to finish what I started long ago…_

_But it won't be easy…_

_So much to do, so little time…_

_Sigh, but then again, I'm not all that worried…_

_After you die once, it's hard to be afraid of death…_

_No, I don't fear for my own life, I fear for the lives of the ones I will guide and protect…_

_I fear for those who will try to get in their way…_

_I fear for those I left behind…_

_I fear for the safety of Kingdom Hearts while I am gone…_

_And, most importantly, if I don't fulfill the duties Kingdom Hearts has charged me with…if I am unable to return…_

_Then I fear for the fate of the worlds…_

Introduction - End


	2. Chapter 1: Friends

Chapter 1

- Friends -

_~ But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. ~_

_Thomas Jefferson_

_Long ago, the world was united and filled with warm light._

_People loved the light and eventually began fighting over it._

_Then, darkness found its way into people's hearts._

_Darkness consumed the hearts and light of the people, and in a flash it spread…_

_The world disappeared into the darkness._

_But a glimmer of light remained in the hearts of children…_

_Children gathered their glimmers of light and recreated the world._

_The recreated world, however, was no longer united…_

_It was divided into several smaller worlds._

_Because the true light was still hidden deep within the darkness…_

…

'_Isn't that strange, Riku?'_

* * *

Riku sat up as if a jolt of electricity had been shot through him. His heart was racing like mad, seemingly trying to jump out of his chest. He looked around his room and saw nothing more than the usual darkness that often finds its ways into all the nooks and crevices of bedrooms at night. But…did they look more…menacing then normal? As if they would just jump out and grab him and drag him down to some never ending abyss where he'd…

He shook his head in exasperation, knowing he was overreacting from the dream…

It had been his third nightmare this week but…at the same time…he didn't really know if it was a nightmare or not. It was always just the same voice talking in his mind, telling him the same strange story time after time. Riku didn't even know if the voice was male or female as it didn't really speak to him but rather…imprinted the words on his mind.

Riku looked back down at the lengthening and fading shadows.

'Stupid shadows…' Riku thought, feeling even more annoyed with himself.

He sighed heavily, sensing that something big was going to happen today…but what, he couldn't be sure…

'Might as well get up,' he figured, 'I can start getting more wood for the raft before Sora and Kairi even get up.'

He got out of bed, threw on some clothes and ran out of his house. He then proceeded to untie his raft and paddle over to Destiny Island.

What he failed to see, however, in his rush to get out of his room, was the way the shadows moved. The shadows all twisted and turned in agitation and excitement. Suddenly, out of the moving shadows rose small heads with wide, glowing eyes. Their antennas started to rapidly twitch as they felt themselves slowly rising out of the shadows to freedom. They started to twitch rapidly in an effort to escape as they felt the sweet, addicting scent of hearts nearby, just waiting to be taken.

However, out of one of the larger shadows, cast by a wardrobe, rose a tall, humanoid-like figure. The being was completely composed of shadows that continuously swirled around its body. The shadow-covered being didn't move of twitch as the other shadows did. It remained perfectly still, seemingly just watching the dark creatures. The shadow then raised a dark arm, pointing a finger at the shadows.

"Return to the eternal darkness from whence you came!" a voice, neither male or female in tone, rang out from the direction of the humanoid being.

The creatures shrieked and writhed in agony as they felt themselves being forced back into the shadows. Within seconds, they were gone.

The humanoid figure stood there for another moment or two, as if to make sure that the creatures were gone, and then it too shrank back into the shadows.

And as the sun rose higher in the sky, the shadows stopped writhing and it was as if nothing odd had ever happened at all.

* * *

'There's one!' Riku thought in triumph as he spotted a medium size log lying on the forest floor. It was the perfect size for the raft! He bent down and quickly hefted the log over his shoulder.

Riku turned and walked back to the beach. 'I bet those two haven't even started working yet!'

Of course, he'd practically done the whole raft by himself, not that he really minded. He was used to being the best of the group and always found it rather funny whenever Sora tried to beat him at…well, anything really. Riku had always felt that he was the leader of their little trio.

And he was confident that it would always stay that way.

* * *

Making his way along the beach to the raft, he spotted Sora and Kairi. The two were marveling at the progress of the raft…not that he'd helped much…

Riku could hear Sora excitedly shouting about the rafts practically finished state.

"It's finally done! Our raft!"

"Yeah…No thanks to you guys!" Riku shouted, sighing exasperatedly as the two turned to look at him.

"You two are always goofing around…" he continued. Then, to mess with Sora some, he added, "You weren't off scarfing down Paopu fruit, were you?"

Sora blushed in a mix of embarrassment and anger, "Of course we weren't!"

Riku smirked and expertly twirled the log in his hands. "Hey, I was only kidding. You're so uptight, Sora."

Kairi looked on as Sora began to snap back about him not being uptight. She giggled as the two started to argue. Feeling completely carefree and content, Kairi silently hoped that things would never change.

* * *

After the two boys had gotten tired of arguing, the three had spread out on the raft, each one taking up a side with Sora facing the sea.

The three listened to the calming sounds of the ocean for awhile, the setting sun in the distance turning the sky spectacular shades of orange and pink. The silence was interrupted as Sora voiced his thoughts.

"When we get to the other side of the ocean…will we really find another world? I wonder what kind of place it's going to be…?"

Riku mentally sighed at his friend's never ending curiosity.

"We'll know when we get there," he said simply, "We'll know what kind of world Kairi came from. And we'll know why we're here."

Then, as if he couldn't stop, he continued. "If Kairi hadn't come to this island…we never would've known that there is another world out there. We would've lived our entire lives on this island…"

Riku had said that last sentence like it was a bad thing, and both of his companions had noticed. A semi-awkward silence enveloped the three.

Finally, when Kairi decided that she couldn't take it anymore, she stood up quickly and said nervously, "Hey, guys...Check this out!" She pulled out a small half-finished trinket from her pocket. "A Thalassa shell lucky charm! Sailors used to wear these and pray for a safe voyage…in hopes of returning safely from their journeys."

Sora noticed the implications in her voice and, desperate to keep her from becoming sad, he jumped up and ran out into the sea.

"There's nothing to worry about!" he shouted, holding up his makeshift flag, "Let's go! We're gonna go see the world!" He turned back to the two, a wide grin on his face. "Right?"

* * *

The three were beginning to walk back up the beach, when Sora stopped them.

"Uh, guys? I just realized…we haven't named our raft yet, have we?"

Riku and Kairi thought for a minute and then they both shook their heads.

"Well then, we'd better hurry up and name it!" Sora shouted, probably glad that he'd actually thought of some way to help with the raft.

"But…who gets to name it?" Kairi asked, seeing a possible dilemma.

Sora and Riku's eyes widened in realization and both of them glared at each other. Kairi sighed, knowing that another fight was going to erupt any second…

"Well," Riku began, hoping to settle this quickly, "I say we call it Highwind."

"Oh yeah? Who said you get to decide?" Sora snapped back, feeling a little annoyed with Riku's attitude and, not wanting to be shown-up in front of Kairi, said, "I say we call it…Excalibur!"

Riku just barely managed to stop himself from laughing out loud at Sora's foolishness. 'Excalibur?' Really? Was that the best he could come up with?

Kairi, however, being the appointed "peacekeeper" of the group, came up with a way to settle their dispute.

"Ok, how about we have a race to decide? The winner gets to name the raft!"

Riku smirked, already knowing the obvious outcome of the race before it even began.

"Sounds good to me," he said.

Sora, not able to back out without seeming like a coward, quickly agreed, "Fine, but, where do we go?"

"Hmmm…" Kairi began, looking around for a minute, "How about, from the beginning of the broken bridge to the star shaped tree! First one to touch the tree and make it back wins!"

The two boys nodded and readied themselves at the starting point.

"Ok! Ready…Set…Go!"

* * *

Riku was panting slightly as he and Sora raced back to the broken bridge. Riku was a bit shocked; Sora had actually managed to keep up with him for most of the race. He'd made it two the tree only a second after Riku did.

'However, he's going to lose here!' he thought triumphantly. Riku could jump faster than Sora could and Riku also had much better balance then Sora.

'All I have to do is jump fast enough across the broken bridge and then I'll win and-'

Riku's thoughts were interrupted as he glanced down to check the width of the platform in front of him. His eyes locked on to a figure standing far away on the beach. He couldn't make out much of the person as they were so far away, other than the fact that they were wearing black…which meant that the person was not someone he knew.

As his eyes strained to better see the person, he forgot to look as he instinctively leaped from the edge of the broken bridge and…completely missed the next piece.

Riku tore his eyes away from the figure as he felt himself falling. He landed with a nice 'splash' in the water, his feet shaking with the effort to hold up his frame after the sudden impact. He stood there for a minute, completely oblivious to the cheerful shouting of Sora from the finish line and the water dripping off of his now drenched clothes.

Riku's mind kept revolving around two thoughts.

'Who…was that person?'

And…

'I lost to...Sora?'

Chapter 1 - End

* * *

**Ok, ok...to all readers of my other stories...please don't kill me! I really couldn't help but post this story...it was just stuck in my head! **

**-ducks sudden rain of daggers-**

**Aaaaaahhhhh! You know, if I die there's no way I'm ever going to finish anything...**

**-daggers stop-**

**Finally...well, I've already got chapter 2 written up...so I'll post it...when I feel like it or if I get enough reviews...*hint* *hint* ;)**


	3. Chapter 2: Confusion

Chapter 2 - Confusion

_~ As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it. ~_

_Antoine de Saint-Exupery_

After drying off a bit and enduring some of Sora's childish taunts, Riku was feeling pretty beat. Kairi, being the kind person that she was, noticed this and yawned loudly, saying that she was tired. She then offered to go ahead and get the canoes ready for the trip home and, before Sora could object, ran off.

Sora started to follow, though at a much slower pace, not noticing that Riku hadn't moved.

Riku was still confused with who the person was earlier. He didn't like not knowing things. For some reason…it bothered him, made him feel…inferior in some small way. However, as he turned to follow, he touched his pocket and remembered something he still had to do.

"Sora!" He called out, making Sora pause and turn. Riku threw him a small star-shaped item, causing Sora's eyes to widen in surprise.

"If two people share the Paopu fruit, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what," Riku stood next to Sora, looking down at the slightly smaller teen, "Shouldn't you be trying this before our departure?"

Sora stared at him in confusion, "Wha-?"

Riku smirked and rolled his eyes. Sora could be so naïve sometimes.

"If you're not going to, maybe I'll…" Riku's fake threat trailed off as he looked over Sora's shoulder and noticed something out of the corner of his eye…or, rather, someone.

The person from before was standing on the beach again, nearer to the raft this time. The person was staring out at the ocean, seemingly ignoring all else around him/her.

"Huh? Riku? Wha-?"

Sora was cut off by a shout from Kairi, "Hey, you two! Let's go!"

"Coming, Kairi!" Sora shouted starting to run towards her, but stopping as he saw Riku still standing there.

'What is he staring at?' Sora wondered, looking down the beach, 'The only thing there is the raft…is he worried it'll get lost?'

"Riku? Are you coming?" Sora asked, a bit worried for his friend. "I'm sure the raft will be fine…"

"Yeah…" Riku muttered, not taking his eyes off the figure, "Uh, I need to check something, Sora. You go on, I'll catch up." He made his way slowly towards the figure.

"Uh…ok?" Sora said, still confused, but, trusting his friend's sanity, turns and continues to move towards Kairi.

* * *

As Riku got closer, he was able to see more details of the person.

For one, it was a girl. Her long black hair was waving in the wind. She wore all black from her sleeveless top to her jeans and down to her boots. Her pale arms stood motionless at her sides.

'She's definitely not from here…' Riku thought as he stopped about a half dozen steps away from her. She'd shown no signs that she'd seen or heard him approach.

"Um…miss? Who are-?"

'_Sigh'_

Riku jumped slightly at the sudden sound.

The female turned to face him and he saw that her irises were a dark color, nearly blending in with her pupils. Her pale skin was even more striking now against her jet-black hair. Riku also noticed a necklace around her neck with a charm on it in the shape of a black-traced heart.

Riku also noticed that she was beautiful and around the same age as him.

The girl shook her head as she looked at him, a strange look in her eyes.

'_So much to do…So little time…'_

Riku's eyes widened. She'd talked…he was sure of it. But…she hadn't opened her mouth.

"How did you-?"

The girl put a pale finger to her lips in a 'shushing' motion. Riku blinked in confusion and, suddenly, she was right in front of him, inches from his own face. He tensed up in surprise and, though he'd rather die than admit it, fear.

'_Take it easy.' _The girl backed away from him, clasping her hands behind her back, _'Don't be scared.'_

A small, playful smile lit her face as she turned and walked back to where she had been standing.

'_The door is still shut…'_

His eyes followed her movements as she stopped. She turned her head back and met his sea-green eyes with her black ones.

'…_for now.'_

"What?" Riku muttered, staring at her in confusion.

She smirked, her eyes gleaming with suppressed laughter.

"Hey, Riku!" Sora shouted from the dock.

Riku blinked out of his trance-like state and…

…the girl was gone.

Chapter 2 - End

* * *

Yay! I finally found time to post the next chapter (haven't actually written anything since then, but hey, I'll get to it...eventually...)

Ok, updates! The Envy story will be updated soon (I think). The D. Gray-amn chapter will be out a bit later because I haven't found time to start it (heh...heh...). And the next chapter for this story will probably be out...sometime in the near future!

Anyway...who is this mysterious girl? What does she have to do with Riku? Why does she talk so cryptically? When will the next chapter be posted? Why does the author not know when the next chapter will be posted? We'll find most of these things out in the next chapter! (hopefully...)

OH, and a quick thank-you to all those who have favored this story. I also would really appreciate some Reviews! (just to see how popular this story is...)


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